Family Matters

CLOSING THOUGHT
Remember to check in with the Study Notes,
Additional Study, and Daily Devotions to go
deeper throughout the week.
• Ask, “How can we pray for you this
week?” Invite everyone to share, but
don’t force the issue. Be sure to write
prayer requests on your Prayer and
Praise Report on page 141.
Study Notes
AS STEVE REMARKS IN THE VIDEO, IT’S IMPORTANT
THAT WE TEACH OUR KIDS THE MAJOR LESSONS OF
LIFE BEFORE THEY’RE 18 YEARS OLD. IN OUR CULTURE,
THAT’S THE LEGAL AGE OF ADULTHOOD, SO IT’S
DEFINITELY IMPORTANT THAT WE’VE PARENTED OUR
KIDS TO BE COMPLETELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR
ACTIONS AND TO UNDERSTAND CONSEQUENCES
BEFORE THEY REACH THIS MILESTONE.
However, recent research by human development psychologists,
neurologists, and other specialists shows that while our culture
considers kids “grown” at age 18, the human brain actually
continues to mature and develop until age 25. Here’s a quote
from an article on the subject by National Geographic:
• Close your meeting with prayer.
The first full series of scans of the developing adolescent brain—a
National Institutes of Health (NIH) project that studied over
a hundred young people as they grew up during the 1990s—
showed that our brains undergo a massive reorganization
between our 12th and 25th years. The brain doesn’t actually
grow very much during this period. It has already reached 90
percent of its full size by the time a person is six, and a thickening
skull accounts for most head growth afterward. But as we
move through adolescence, the brain undergoes extensive
remodeling, resembling a network and wiring upgrade……
When this development proceeds normally, we get better at
balancing impulse, desire, goals, self-interest, rules, ethics, and
even altruism, generating behavior that is more complex and,
62 Session Three
Parental Guidance Required • Part Two 63